Dec. 04, 2012
Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 12-414
2012 AWARDS PRESENTED FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN EARTH REMOTE SENSING
WASHINGTON -- NASA and the Department of the Interior's U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) presented the 2012 William T. Pecora awards
for achievement in earth remote sensing to Gilberto Camara of
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research and Leung Tsang of the
University of Washington in Seattle.
Camara was recognized for his contributions to remote-sensing
leadership as a scientist, program director, manager and agency head.
Tsang is one of the world's leading experts on the theory of
microwave remote sensing for geophysical environments. Camara
received his award at a meeting of the Group on Earth Observations in
Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, on Nov. 22. Tsang received his award Tuesday
at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
"Along with the immensely successful Landsat program, the Pecora
awards are a testament to the very high value both the U.S.
Geological Survey and NASA place in Earth remote sensing," said USGS
Director Marcia McNutt. "As our planet's water, soil, and ecosystems
continue to be stressed by a growing population and changing climate,
it is essential we continue into a fifth decade of Earth observation
time series and recognize the excellence of remote-sensing experts."
NASA and the Department of the Interior present individual and group
Pecora Awards to honor outstanding contributions in the field of
remote sensing and its application to understanding Earth. The award
was established in 1974 to honor the memory of William T. Pecora,
former USGS director and undersecretary of the Department of the
Interior. Pecora was influential in the establishment of the Landsat
satellite program, which created a continuous, 40-year record of
Earth's land areas.
"I am sure Dr. Pecora would be pleased if he were here with us today
and could see how his vision for innovative remote-sensing technology
has been realized in the work of the individuals we are recognizing
this year," said astronaut John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate
administrator for the Science Mission Directorate.
As the former director general of Brazil's National Institute for
Space Research, Camara championed broad, open data-sharing policies
and practices within the institute that have significantly influenced
other domestic and international organizations to emulate this
approach. Camara has advanced the linkages between and among
remote-sensing technologies and Geographic Information System
technologies and applications.
Camara also supported programs within the institute to link
moderate-resolution imagery from the China-Brazil Earth Resources
Satellite, Landsat, and other Earth observation missions with the
policy needs of the Brazilian government, most notably polices on
forestation and deforestation in the Amazon.
Tsang's contributions to microwave remote sensing have laid the
groundwork for improved data analysis and designs of new measurements
and satellite observational systems. His work has resulted in
numerous societal benefits, including monitoring climate change and
improving management of water and agricultural resources. His
original and pioneering discoveries have resulted in the publication
of more than 260 journal articles and four books.
Tsang also made major advances in rough surface scattering theory and
applications to microwave remote sensing of soil and vegetated
surfaces. He developed an improved modeling framework for rough
surface and vegetation scattering with fast computational methods
that can be directly applied to both active and passive microwave
remote sensing of soil moisture.
For more information on the Pecora Awards, visit:
http://remotesensing.usgs.gov/pecora.php
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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